The invention relates generally to semiconductor materials and, more particularly, to gallium nitride materials and methods of producing gallium nitride materials.
Gallium nitride materials include gallium nitride (GaN) and its alloys such as aluminum gallium nitride (AlGaN), indium gallium nitride (InGaN), and aluminum indium gallium nitride (AlInGaN). These materials are semiconductor compounds that have a relatively wide, direct bandgap which permits highly energetic electronic transitions to occur. Such electronic transitions can result in gallium nitride materials having a number of attractive properties including the ability to efficiently emit blue light, the ability to transmit signals at high frequency, and others. Accordingly, gallium nitride materials are being widely investigated in many microelectronic applications such as transistors, field emitters, and optoelectronic devices.
In many applications, gallium nitride materials are grown on a substrate. However, differences in the properties between gallium nitride materials and substrates can lead to difficulties in growing layers suitable for many applications. For example, gallium nitride (GaN) has a different thermal expansion coefficient (i.e., thermal expansion rate) than many substrate materials including sapphire, silicon carbide, and silicon. This difference in thermal expansion can lead to cracking of a gallium nitride layer deposited on such substrates when the structure is cooled, for example, during processing. The cracking phenomena can prevent gallium nitride materials from being suitable for use in many applications. Cracking can be particularly problematic for relatively thick (e.g.,  greater than 0.5 micron) gallium nitride layers.
Gallium nitride (GaN) also has a different lattice constant than most substrate materials. The difference in lattice constant may lead to the formation of defects in gallium nitride material layers deposited on substrates. Such defects can impair the performance of devices formed using the gallium nitride material layers.
Prior art techniques have been developed to address crack formation and defect formation in gallium nitride materials deposited on sapphire substrates and silicon carbide substrates. Such techniques, for example, may involve depositing one or more buffer layers on the substrate and, then, depositing the gallium nitride material on the buffer layer(s).
The invention provides semiconductor materials including a gallium nitride material layer formed on a silicon substrate and methods to form the semiconductor materials. The semiconductor materials include a transition layer formed between the silicon substrate and the gallium nitride material layer. The transition layer is compositionally-graded to lower stresses in the gallium nitride material layer which can result from differences in thermal expansion rates between the gallium nitride material and the substrate. The lowering of stresses in the gallium nitride material layer reduces the tendency of cracks to form which enables the production of semiconductor materials including gallium nitride material layers having few or no cracks. The semiconductor materials may be used in a number of microelectronic and optical applications.
The invention has overcome the problem of growing gallium nitride materials having few or no cracks on silicon substrates which, due to the large differences in both thermal expansion rate and lattice constant between gallium nitride materials (e.g., GaN) and silicon, is considerably more challenging than on other types of substrates (e.g., SiC and sapphire).
In one aspect, the invention provides a semiconductor material. The material includes a silicon substrate and a compositionally-graded transition layer formed over the silicon substrate. The material further includes a gallium nitride material layer formed over the transition layer.
In another aspect, the invention provides a semiconductor material. The semiconductor material includes a silicon substrate and a gallium nitride material layer formed over the silicon substrate. The gallium nitride material layer has a crack level of less than 0.005 xcexcm/xcexcm2.
In another aspect, the invention provides a semiconductor structure. The semiconductor structure includes a silicon substrate, and a gallium nitride material layer formed over the silicon substrate. The gallium nitride material layer has a thickness of greater than 0.5 micron. The semiconductor structure forms a semiconductor device.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of producing a semiconductor material. The method includes the steps of forming a compositionally-graded transition layer over a silicon substrate, and forming a gallium nitride material layer over the transition layer.
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of producing a semiconductor material. The method includes forming a gallium nitride material layer formed over a silicon substrate. The gallium nitride material layer has a crack level of less than 0.005 xcexcm/xcexcm2 
In another aspect, the invention provides a method of forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes forming a semiconductor structure comprising a silicon substrate, and a gallium nitride material layer formed over the silicon substrate. The gallium nitride material layer has a thickness of greater than 0.5 micron.
In another aspect, the invention provides a semiconductor material. The semiconductor material comprises a silicon (100) substrate and a gallium nitride material layer having a Wurtzite structure formed over the silicon substrate.
Other advantages, aspects, and features of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the invention when considered in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.